Common Goal
by FutureFox
Summary: After a mission goes wrong, Amy and Hannibal need to get a few things straight.  Amy/Murdock established.
1. Chapter 1

"Let him go Royce," Amy said. She was doing her best to keep from shaking. She stood near the back of a huge warehouse. A man called James Royce was standing across the room from her, holding a knife to Murdock's throat. Amy didn't have to turn to know that Royce's minions were behind her, waiting for orders.

The team had been planning their attack on Royce and his men for over a week. She and Murdock were just supposed to be scouts until the others got there. But, they had accidentally knocked over a box. They'd tried to run but Royce caught up to Murdock and despite his protests, Amy couldn't leave him. There was no way she could overpower these guys and there was no way for Murdock to get himself free. All she could do was stall and hope that the guys got there soon.

She clenched and unclenched her hands, holding Royce's gaze. She tried not to look Murdock in the eyes. She didn't know if she could hang on to her last ounce of strength if she did. She heard the footsteps of Royce's men getting closer to her. She could try to run but even if she could get away from them, she would most likely get Murdock killed in the process.

She swallowed, "I said, let him go."

"Little lady, I don't think you're in any position to be making demands," Royce laughed.

"I'm in a better spot then you know Royce. You think we came here alone? Come on, be smarter than that. We have backup and I guarantee you, things will only get worse for you unless you let us go right now."

Royce studied her, "you're bluffing. If you had backup, where are they?"

"They'll be here, don't worry about that." Amy kept her gaze on Royce, refusing to give him anything.

"But they're not here yet and they won't be here until I'm long gone and you and your…comrade here are noting but corpses on the floor."

Amy shivered and forced herself to remain still. It was talk. It was just talk. Hannibal did it all the time. She could handle this. Showing fear wasn't going to get them out of there. Murdock was counting on her.

"Are you really going to take that chance? Royce, you haven't killed anyone yet and if you do now, you're looking at more trouble than you ever dreamed of. Is that what you want?"

Amy stared him down. Royce hesitated. For a moment, she thought she had him. But, the brief doubt in his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold determination. He slid the blade over Murdock's throat as Amy screamed.

Murdock didn't cry out. He couldn't cry out. Royce let him fall to the ground and ran. Amy started to rush toward Murdock but Royce's men were too quick for her. They grabbed her and tried to pull her to the floor. Amy fought with everything in her to break free. She had to get to Murdock. She had to get them out of there. A sharp pain caught Amy in the thigh. She realized with horror that she had been stabbed. Her whole body jerked at the shock. They were going to kill her. They may have already killed Murdock. How had things gotten so out of hand? Even as these thoughts ran through her mind, she continued to struggle against her attackers.

Just then, the sound of guns firing broke through the rest of the commotion. Royce's men released her and scattered from the warehouse.

Amy writhed in agony on the floor. She grabbed at her thigh, trying to stop the blood. Suddenly a pair of strong hands held her down, keeping her from struggling. Amy looked up to see Hannibal's face come into focus. Holding her arm with one hand, he inspected the wound with his other, being as careful as possible. Amy wanted to swat him away but she knew he had to look. She bit down on her fingers as he checked over the source of the blood.

"Face," Hannibal shouted. "How's Murdock?"

Amy twisted around, despite Hannibal's strength to see Murdock sprawled in a lifeless heap on the ground. Face was kneeling next to him, removing his jacket to cover Murdock with. BA was standing over both of them.

"It's bad Hannibal. It's really bad. I can't tell how deep it is, there's too much blood. He's still alive, but he's not going to last."

"All right, you and BA take him in the van and get him back to the hospital as fast as you can. I'll get Amy to a local doctor I know who will keep quiet about this. I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

Amy saw Face nod and BA carefully lifted Murdock into his arms. There was blood everywhere. It was staining Murdock's jacket and dripping running down his face. Amy could tell if he wasn't conscious. Face had his own jacket pressed to Murdock's neck and cradled his head in his free hand. She could tell that he was whispering into Murdock's ear, but they were too far away for her to make out the words. He and BA made their way out of the warehouse; trying not to jostle their injured friend any more than was necessary.

"Murdock! Murdock," Amy shouted. She needed a sign from him. She just needed him to open his eyes. That was all she wanted. She didn't have the strength to run to him, so she needed a sign that he would live if she was going to get through this. "Please, answer me," her voice cracked as she felt hot tears running down her face. The pain from her wound was excruciating and Hannibal kept her lying still. Once Murdock was out of sight, she gave up struggling.

She looked up at Hannibal, her eyes pleading. Hannibal was busy tying his coat to her knife wound.

He reached down and lifted her up. She wanted to walk herself but Hannibal scooped her up before she could try. She was pretty sure that any attempt would have failed anyway. Hannibal moved as fast as he could with Amy in his arms. They approached Face's Vette and he placed her in the passenger's seat.

"Will he live? Hannibal, tell me," Amy begged. She struggled to speak normally, but her breath was coming out ragged and the pain was blinding.

Hannibal got into the driver's seat, "Amy, I don't know. I didn't get to check him over. Face and BA know what they're doing and the hospital knows Murdock and they'll take care of him."

Amy shook her head, "that's not good enough, Hannibal." She was starting to feel lightheaded.

Hannibal said nothing as he sped away.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hang on, Murdock. Hang on," Face repeated over and over again. Murdock hadn't regained consciousness and Face counted that as something of a blessing. He didn't want Murdock feeling the pain. He hoped that he wasn't. Even though his friend could not respond to him, he kept talking to him. Murdock had always loved being around people. He thrived with company. Face needed Murdock to know that he wasn't alone now.

Despite his best efforts, the blood flow continued. Murdock was lying flat on the floor of the van with Face crouched beside him. He kept one hand firmly on his friend's neck and the other on his shoulder to prevent him from moving when they ran over potholes. He kept checking Murdock's pulse, needing the constant reassurance that he was still alive.

"Hang on, just hang on. We'll get you fixed up quick. BA, how far?"

"About five more minutes man. How is he," BA shouted back.

"Not good BA. We don't have any time to waste."

"You think I'm taking the scenic route," yelled BA. "You just keep him alive. I'll get us to the hospital."

The van jerked as they hit another pothole. Face tightened his grip on Murdock. The pilot's head rolled limply to the side. Face's hand was now slick with blood and he momentarily lost his hold on the wound. Gathering as much of his soaked jacket as he could, he tried again.

"BA! Do you have to hit every single bump in the road?"

BA nearly exploded, but caught himself at the last moment. Face didn't mean it. He was stressed and scared. There was no sense in making it worse by arguing. "I gotta get there fast Face."

His tone was more gentle than Face could ever remember it being. BA growled out everything, from insults to Murdock to ordering meals at a restaurant. His voice was never soft like it had just been. Face took a deep breath and looked back at Murdock. They were going to lose him. He knew it. He couldn't stop it and no matter how carefully BA drove, the Sergeant couldn't stop it either. Hannibal would never stand for Face indulging thoughts like this. Hannibal never gave up and he wouldn't let Face give up either. But, Face wasn't like Hannibal and without his leadership, he didn't know if he could keep it together.

"Hey, man you got a cover story?"

BA spoke again. Face actually hadn't. He always liked to be prepared. He was used to staying calm under pressure, but it was little different when his best friend was bleeding to death beneath his touch.

"Get to Dr. Richter. Murdock trusts him and that's good enough for me. He'll cover for us."

"And if he don't," asked BA, never taking his eyes off the road.

"Well, then at least Murdock will get the help he needs. We can worry about ourselves later. Our first priority is getting Murdock safe." Face didn't mind getting arrested if he could save Murdock in the process. Murdock had risked himself countless times for them. They could return the favor.

BA nodded, knowing that his friend couldn't see him. He was just as worried as Face was. He couldn't look back. He didn't like seeing Murdock so defeated. It wasn't right. BA was supposed to protect them and yet Murdock was now dying on his watch. He focused all his energy on getting to the hospital in time. There would be time for blame later.

Murdock's fingers twitched from time to time and Face grabbed his hand and held it still. "It's all right Murdock. I know it hurts. It's gonna be okay. You know we aren't going to let you die."

Face wondered again if Murdock could hear him when his fingers weakly curled around Face's.

He wanted to know what went wrong. Murdock and Amy should not have been in a fight at all. They were meant to be getting the plane while he, BA, and Hannibal took care of Royce and his gang. This wasn't supposed to happen. It shouldn't have happened. Face blamed Hannibal for not anticipating this outcome. He blamed Amy for not being able to stop it. He blamed Murdock for not protecting himself better. He blamed Murdock and Amy for being together. He blamed BA for not driving faster. He blamed himself for not being able to stop the bleeding. If Murdock didn't make it, he didn't know how he would be able to look any of them in the eyes again. He didn't know how he would be able to look at himself in the mirror again.

Face snapped his head down at Murdock's gagging noise. His eyes were open now, they were wide and frightened. He was gagging and gurgling and fighting against Face's grip. Face held on tighter.

"Murdock it's okay. It's me, Face. You've been hurt, but we're taking you to the hospital. Can you understand me?"

But, Murdock kept resisting. "BA, would you hurry it up? He's fighting me and he's making it worse."

No sooner had the words left his mouth did the van screech to a halt. BA jumped from the van and scrambled to the side door.

BA easily deflected Murdock's weak flailing and once again, picked him up. Face followed them, trying to keep Murdock calm.

He went in ahead and screamed, "we need help!"

**Author's Note:**** I'm not sure about this chapter, but I wanted to write a scene with just the guys for a change. I hope it turned out okay. I'll be getting back to Hannibal and Amy in chapter three.**


	3. Chapter 3

"We need to get to Murdock," said Amy.

The doctor had patched her up; deciding that the wound wasn't that serious and she wouldn't require a hospital stay.

"We will," Hannibal tried to keep his patience with her. Not for the first time, he questioned his decision to let her on the team. She wasn't a soldier. How could he expect her to act like one? She didn't belong there. Now one of his men was possibly dying and it wouldn't have happened had he been with Murdock instead of Amy.

Hannibal had not been happy when Murdock and Amy had announced their relationship. Of course he wanted his team to be happy, but a romantic relationship could be a distraction. It could lead to mistakes. It could lead to tragedy. Now, his concerns were justified and he regretted not putting a stop to Murdock and Amy earlier. He knew that if he told Murdock to break it off, he would have. He also knew that his pilot would have never forgiven him for it. So against his better judgment, he had kept quiet.

It wouldn't do any good to confront Amy. She was too headstrong for her own good. Besides, Murdock needed them. As much as he opposed Murdock's relationship with Amy, it wouldn't do anybody any good to fight with his girlfriend.

"Is she good to go doc?"

The doctor turned to Hannibal, "she'll be fine. She was very lucky, you know." He turned back to Amy, "take better care in the future, miss."

Amy gritted her teeth and simply nodded. She couldn't believe she was being lectured by some doctor she'd never met before and who didn't know a thing about her. She just wanted to get out of there and to Murdock. The doctor handed her a bottle of pills.

"Painkillers," he said simply.

"Oh," she replied. Hannibal caught the sarcasm and helped her off the exam table.

"Thanks a lot doc. I owe you one. We'll be out of your hair now," Hannibal led Amy back to the Vette.

They drove in silence for a while. Amy didn't miss the icy vibe that Hannibal was giving her. She had a feeling that he blamed her. It felt like Hannibal was always blaming her. He was always testing her. He was just waiting for her to royally screw up. He was just waiting for some excuse, any excuse to kick her to the curb. No matter how many times she came through, did what they asked of her, or saved their lives, it was never enough for Hannibal. Nothing she did was ever going to be enough for Hannibal. It hadn't bothered her in a while. She had given up trying to win his approval. Face and BA trusted her and she had Murdock to rely on no matter what. She had their faith and that was enough. It was enough up until the moment Royce had slit Murdock's throat.

Her emotions were boiling to the surface and she felt tears prick her eyes again. Hannibal would kick Amy out if Murdock died. Not that it mattered. She wouldn't be sticking around if Murdock didn't make it. She had her doubts that the team would survive at all without the crazy man that they had all come to count on so much.

"If you have something to say, go ahead. Don't hold back," Amy said. She didn't look at Hannibal as she spoke.

"What went wrong Amy?"

Amy huffed, "that's not what you want to say, Hannibal. You don't want to know what happened. You've already got it worked out in your head that I must have screwed up."

Anger flared up inside Hannibal. He had every right to be angry. Murdock was hurt, seriously hurt and he and Amy had been given a simple job.

"I'm not blaming anyone."

"You want to. You want to blame me. I'm not an idiot Hannibal. I know you've never fully trusted me."

"I trust you, Amy. You're a good person. You're a strong person."

"But, not as strong as the rest of you. Not strong enough for all of this. That's what you think, isn't it?"

Hannibal shook his head, "Kid, I don't expect anyone to be as strong as us. You just don't have the experience that we do. You don't have anything at stake."

Amy gaped, "you think I don't have anything at stake? You know how much trouble I would be in if anyone found out I was working with you guys and helping you all the time. For starters, I would lose my job. I could end up in prison. You know all of this. You've protected me from it."

Hannibal interrupted her, "then why are you here," he snapped. "If it's such a big risk for you, then why do you stay?"

"You want me to go," Amy asked.

"Maybe you'd be doing everybody a favor," he whispered.

Amy wanted to scream at him. How could he say that? Hadn't she done everything she could to help them? Hadn't she put herself on the line for them? She didn't do it for gratitude, of course, but hearing out loud that she was the expendable to Hannibal hurt.

"Would that be doing Murdock a favor?"

Hannibal stiffened and his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Murdock loves me and I love him. You know that. You all know that. What do you think he'll say if you tell me to leave?"

"That's assuming he'll still be alive to say anything," Hannibal fired back. He instantly regretted his words. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He had better control over his emotions than this. He was the one who had to hold it together for his team. Now, here he was taking cheap shots at Amy.

"Shut up," Amy hissed. "You blame me, fine. You think I wanted this to happen? Murdock's your pilot. He's your secret weapon. You all count on him to keep spirits up. He's Face's best friend. He's practically BA's little brother. And he's my…he's mine," she finished.

"I'm sorry," Hannibal began.

This time Amy cut him off, "I want the team safe too Hannibal. We're on the same side. Stop trying to test my loyalty. You have it. You all do and you always will."

"I'm sorry," Hannibal said again. "It's just that when one of them is hurt like this, there's nothing I can do. I can protect them from the MPs and thugs on the street, but this? I can't help them. Murdock's at the mercy of doctors. I have to put his life in someone else's hands. I'm his leader and I feel helpless."

"It wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't yours either."

Amy nodded in approval, "I'm glad we're agreed."

Hannibal and Amy both had to laugh, if only to have some kind of release. Hannibal hit the accelerator a little harder as the hospital came into view. Amy almost wanted him to keep driving because she knew that if she went inside she could potentially hear the most devastating news of her life.

**Author's Note:**** I think Amy and Hannibal had a potentially very interesting relationship. I think he kept trying to make her regret her decision to join the team. Of course, that could have been Peppard's dislike of Culea showing through on screen, but either way it's something I always noticed. Anyway, R&R. **


	4. Chapter 4

BA met Hannibal and Amy at the car.

"This way," he said, turning back toward the hospital. Amy and Hannibal glanced at each other before following BA. He took them around back so they would avoid the nurses.

"How is he Sergeant," asked Hannibal.

They were moving fast and the painkillers Amy had taken were wearing off. The shooting pain was making it difficult to keep up with them but she refused to call attention to it.

"He's pretty bad. Dr. Richter took him and Face followed him. He was awake last I saw him," said BA.

As they continued down the empty hallway, Face appeared out of a doorway. Murdock's blood was all over him. The pain in Amy's leg seemed to get worse as she spotted him. She squeezed her eyes shut and kept moving.

"Face," Hannibal gave Face's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Face straightened up in front of his Colonel.

"Report, Lieutenant," said Hannibal. He knew he needed to keep Face focused. His Lieutenant had never been one to look on the bright side and Hannibal found himself constantly trying to keep his pessimism at bay. Murdock was better at keeping Face positive but Murdock couldn't help this time.

"He was conscious and gagging. We got to Richter. I gave the doctors some story; I can't remember what it was. I should have been paying more attention."

"Don't worry about that now, Face. Go on."

Face nodded, "Right. They took him back a while ago. Richter said nobody would bother us down here. He went to make a few phone calls. He said he'd be back soon. Murdock, he, he looked so scared. He kept grabbing for me when the doctors pushed me out of the room. He didn't know what was happening," Face trailed off.

"We'll explain it all to him when he wakes up, understand," Hannibal's voice was confident.

Amy just stared at him. Total confidence. There was no trace of the doubt and vulnerability he had showed her earlier. Now he was the leader and he would do whatever he could for his men. He would keep their spirits up even if his were down. More than any other, that moment made Amy realize that Hannibal was their Colonel in a way he would never be hers. He would never admit he was scared to Face and Face was his XO. He was like his son. But, he would never reveal too much of himself to his Lieutenant. But, he had to her. He had actually talked to her about something that was really inside him.

Maybe Hannibal had more respect for her than she thought. Maybe she was passing his tests. She had to sit down. The throbbing was clouding her thoughts and she wanted to be clear. She was part of the team and she was going to stay focused for them. She was going to be the first thing Murdock saw when he woke up. And he would wake up. Amy couldn't think otherwise.

She eased herself down to sit in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. She leaned her head back against the wall and watched as the guys attempted to comfort each other as only guys can.

Finally, Face sat next to her, "you all right Amy?"

Amy nodded but her eyes were glistening, "I'll be fine Face. I'll be fine as soon as he is."

"I know what you mean." Without thinking Face grabbed her hand. She felt the sticky blood rub off on her before she looked down at the sight. She gaped for a moment. Murdock's blood was on her hands. It was just as well.

Face didn't understand her reaction for a moment. He followed her gaze to their tangled hands and saw what he had done.

"Oh, Amy. I didn't even realize. I just forgot. I'm sorry," he quickly removed his hand and stood up. "I'm gonna go try to clean up," Face's calm façade was breaking and he made a mad dash for the bathroom before it shattered completely.

"BA, go with him. Make sure he's all right. I want to talk to Amy," BA nodded and followed Face.

Amy sat as still as a statue, staring at her open, stained palms. Amy had always seen Murdock as a kind of kindred spirit. He was the first to truly accept her. He had always been happy to work with her and he had complete faith in her. She wondered if he still would now.

"Amy, you have to understand. The four of us have been together for a long time. All we've got is each other. That's not a lot to hold onto so we hold on tight."

"I understand that more than you realize. You've known them since they were practically kids and they've survived this long because of you. But, they're not kids anymore. They can make their own choices and they can make their own way in the world. They choose to stay. Murdock made his choice and I know he'll never regret it. I've made my choice too. I choose to be a part of this team. I always have. And I choose to be with Murdock. You've gotta accept that. I know how tightly you want to hold onto them, but sometimes you can't."

Hannibal responded with a sigh. Amy returned the sigh and stood up, "I'm gonna go and wash my hands."

She took a few steps then turned back, "Murdock has you guys but he's got me too, you all do."


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone held their breath as Murdock's eyes began to flutter. They moved in close around his bed. He had been in stable condition for the past several hours but hadn't regained consciousness yet. He was still deathly pale from blood loss and he would carry a scar with him forever. The others hadn't left his side.

Amy stroked Murdock's hair, silently encouraging him to wake up. "Come on, Captain. Come on back," Hannibal gently ordered.

Finally, they saw his eyes. Amy half laughed, half sobbed in relief. Face and BA couldn't hide huge grins and Hannibal visibly, if subtly, relaxed. "Good man."

"Hey, Murdock. Welcome back," said Face, moving in to Murdock's line of vision. "You're not going to be able to talk yet, so don't even try."

"Hi, sweetheart," Amy whispered in his ear.

Murdock turned his head as best he could. He caught her eye and looked questioningly at her.

Amy understood, "don't worry. I'm fine."

Murdock accepted that and softly smiled at her. There was so much more that she wanted to say but she couldn't in front of the others. Even if she could, she knew that Murdock didn't need to hear it. He wouldn't understand why she would blame herself and it wouldn't be a question of forgiving her. He wouldn't even think of blaming her. That's just the way he was. That's just the way she loved him.

Sensing the moment between the two of them, Hannibal decided it was time the guys made a graceful exit. "Face, BA why don't we go check in with Dr. Richter. I think Amy and Murdock can take care of themselves."

He gave Amy a meaningful look and he could see the happiness in her eyes. Not one to give away too much, he added, "for a few minutes anyway."

Amy rolled her eyes.

"Play hard to get Murdock," Face winked as he left the room.

"Don't be acting crazy now, you got it? You supposed to be getting better," bellowed BA, following Face.

Amy waited for Hannibal's parting words with an amused smile on her face. But, Hannibal only shrugged, "you don't need my advice." He smiled at the pair and left with the others.

Amy smirked proudly to herself. Murdock patted her arm to get her attention, which she was happy to give. She kissed him softly, feeling completely at peace for the first time in a long time.

**Author's Note: ****Sorry the ending is so short, but I didn't want to overdo it. I hope you guys enjoyed it.**


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